Baked-core tap-hole plug



March 24, 1931. 3. O N 1,797,566

BAKED CORE TAP HOLF] PLUG Filed Jan. 18, 1930 gwuankw j alto mun Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNETED STATES HERMAN 0. BROWN, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN BAKED-CORE TAP-HOLE PLUG Application filed January 18, 1930. Serial No. 421,710.

This invention appertains t cupola and malleable iron furnaces and more particularly to an improved plug for the tap holes thereof.

One of the primary objects of my invention is the provision of a formed plug for the tap holes of cupolas and like furnaces whereby the necessity of providing the usual wet clay plug for the tap holes is eliminated.

The use of wet clay causes a splattering of the molten metal when the wet clay comes into contact with the metal and often causes injuries. The wet clay also causes the metal to freeze about the tap hole, so that in many cases it is necessary to burn away the frozen metal with a blow torch when it is desired to renew the flow of molten metal through the tap hole.

Further it is often necessary to provide complicated appliances for applying and packing the wet clay in the tap hole and the same is an expensive and tedious operation.

It is therefore another prime object of my invention to provide a tap hole plug baked or formed from core sand or some like or similar material, the formation of the plug being such that the same can be readily inserted into the tap hole for shutting off the flow of molten metal, the contact of the baked 3 sand with the metal causing the sand to become red hot which permits the plug to crumb very easily so that the bath can be tapped at will by merely poking the same with a wire rod.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a formed plug for tap holes of the above character which can be easily and cheaply made, one which can be readily associated with the tap hole and one which can instantly be disintegrated for reestablishing the flow through the tap hole without danger of the metal freezing in the hole and around the plug.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing Figure 1 is afragmentar vertical section through a cupola. or like furnace showing my improved plug in use.

Figure 2 is a perspective view formed plug.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View through the same. r

Figure A is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of the plug showing the reinforcement for the same, and

Figure 5 is a transverse section through the plug of the type shown in Figure 4 of the drawing.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates my improved formed plug for a cupola or malleable iron furnace B. The cupola or malleable iron furnace B, as the case may be, can be of any desired or preferred construction and the side wall thereof is provided with the usual tap hole 10.

The core A in the form shown includes an elongated cylindrical body 15 but it is to be understood that this body 15 can be shaped to correspond to the configuration of the tap holle to bring about the best and desired resuit.

As stated it is the primary object of my invention to provide a formed tap hole plug of such material that the same can be readily broken or disintegrated without any difficulty on the part of the operator.

I have found that core sand baked and molded to form the body 15 is an admirable substance for the plug in that the formed baked plug can be readily inserted into the tap hole 1.0 and its excess length broken off as shown in Figure l of the drawings. The

of my contact of the core sand with the molten metal acts to make the core sand red and when it is desired to establish the flow of molten metal it is merely necessary to poke the body 15 with an iron or wire rod so as to readily crumble the same. Other similar granular material may be used instead of core sand, but core sand is the material which I have found to function properly and give the best results.

In instances where it is necessary to make the plug of relatively large diameter or length, the same can be reinforced by a longitudinally extending reinforcing wire or rod 16, as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawing. The reinforcing wire 16 running through the plug can not be used when working with gray iron for the reason that the wire would melt and the metal would run through the resulting opening. Therefore, the reinforced plug is not used with gray iron.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is l. A tap hole plug comprising a body formed from baked core sand.

I 2. A tap hole plug formed from baked core sand, and a reinforcing wire for the body extending longitudinally therethrough.

3. A tap hole plug comprising a body formed from a baked substance having a sand-like consistency.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

HERMAN 0. BROWN. 

